Bing Crosby's White Christmas aiming for UK's 2019 Christmas Number 1, 40 years after his death

A new orchestral album of Bing's festive classics will be released in November.

bing-crosby-at-christmas.jpg

Could 2019 be the year the UK finally sees a White Christmas? A new version of the Bing Crosby's yuletide classic is being released this year - and is throwing its Santa hat in the ring as an early contender for the Official Christmas Number 1. 

The re-worked version of the song, featuring Bing's original vocals backed by the London Symphony Orchestra, will be included on new album Bing At Christmas, out on November 22 and available to pre-order now.

MORE: 10 potential Christmas chart big hitters

The album being released via Decca records by widow Kathryn and their children, Harry, Mary and Nathaniel. Other newly-arranged songs on the collection include Winter Wonderland, It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas, The Christmas Song and Little Drummer Boy, a collaboration with David Bowie recorded in September 1977, a month before Bing died.

Kathryn said of the record: "Hearing Bing’s voice with these completely new, beautifully recorded, orchestral accompaniments makes it seem as though he’s back after all these years. It’s magic." 

Despite being credited as one of the best-selling songs in the world, including 1.05 million pure sales in the UK, White Christmas has never been a Christmas Number 1, peaking at Number 5 in the UK in December 1977.

MORE: Look back at every UK Christmas Number 1

The track has re-entered the UK Top 40 at Christmas for the past two years, thanks to fans streaming the song over the festive period. Since streaming records began in 2014, White Christmas has notched up 28 million plays.

Bing faces some competition on the charts this Christmas, including new releases from Robbie Williams and a posthumous track by George Michael.

Bing At Christmas tracklisting 

1. It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas
2. Sleigh Ride
3. Let it Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
4. White Christmas (Feat. Pentatonix)
5. I'll be Home for Christmas
6. Jingle Bells - (Feat. Puppini Sisters)
7. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
8. Do You Hear What I hear
9. The Christmas Song
10. Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy (feat. David Bowie)
11. The Twelve Days of Christmas (Feat. Puppini Sisters)
12. Winter Wonderland
13. The Christmas Song (Feat. The Tenors)
14. White Christmas

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B

blee

0

May be difficult if radio 1 adds ACR rules to this version, as ACR covers records or track over old tracks/ more than years ago releases, or songs that peaked many weeks in the top end of the charts for weeks, and it gets cut by streaming data by more than half of the units, and Radio 1 charts for Christmas Charts is early, as they never count Christmas Day Sales & only just a couple times in decades where they count up to Christmas Eve, most of the charts for Christmas on radio 1 is up to 6 days out due to sales count (1st day of Christmas is 25th Dec) and this year broadcast is 20th December for 19th December cut off in the evening, so 27th December charts would be more true as it counts Christmas Day and Boxing Day Sales

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thierry henon

1

I will definitely buy this album and i do hope it will get to be number 1...

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David AC

1

Buy the single. Not the album. It's the song that will be number one not just the album